Ohio State (if unbeaten) will easily finish in the top 4 because there won't be more than 3 other unbeatens ahead of them (Louisville/Houston, Fresno St, or Northern Illinois would finish behind them and I suspect Texas Tech and quite possibly Baylor would as well) and they will finish ahead of a 1 loss team. Now sure they need some help to finish in the top 2 with their schedule, but top 4 wouldn't be a problem.

In a different year, I'd tend to agree, but I think this year it's going to be really tough for the SEC to end up with a 1 loss team that would be attractive enough to push over an undefeated OSU. Some scenarios I can see, several of which involve Bama losing which would probably mean that the SEC doesn't have an undefeated team.

But even if they get passed by a 1 loss SEC team, you'd still have to have 3 other undefeated teams from major conferences to push them to #5. That's pretty rare.

Looking at the standings, LSU/TAMU/SC could finish with one loss(but that's gonna push Bama to a loss also unless it's TAMU). So I guess it has to be BAMA, Oregon, Clemson/FSU as undefeated with TAMU's only loss to BAMA. One loss TAMU over OSU? I could see that.

SC could finish with one loss, by winning the East and beating Bama in the conference championship, but I don't see both BAMA/SC with 1 loss over undefeated OSU. Although, quite frankly, it would be just as that would leave three 1-loss SEC teams with their only losses being to another SEC team.

Alabama going undefeated and TAMU not losing another game was the most likely scenario I saw, and since TAMU has to go to LSU, I don't see that as particularly likely. And I also don't see TAMU jumping OSU in the polls in that scenario either. Now, if we were heading for a 4-team playoff and it was like it is now where the BCS standings were the final say on who gets in, I could see it being a source of discussion/debate among the voters given OSU's schedule, but this year, I don't think OSU gets jumped by a 1 loss team as long as they are undefeated. Maybe if they had a really ugly win at the wrong time.

I'm looking beyond records(which I think is what the committee is charged with). SC certainly hasn't looked very good in several of their wins but TAMU has. But that means they have to beat LSU on the road. With a convincing win, I could put them over an undefeated OSU without a problem.

Sure, I could see an argument for it. I'm really just saying that I think a lot would have to break against OSU for a scenario to arise where they wouldn't be in the top 4 at season's end if they don't lose. As easy as it is to look at things right now and think there could be 3 other unbeatens, history suggests one or two of those teams will take an unexpected loss. And, one of those unexpected losses could be by OSU, which would obviously make this all moot.

I guess my point is that I think the objective is to put the 4 best teams in the playoffs. If OSU can't win their games convincingly(and they didn't against WI or Northwestern), I'm not sure I could make an argument for them as one of the 4 best. No one is going to scream for Louisville unless they are the only undefeated team. Because they are NOT one of the best 10 teams in college football.

I would certainly think there would be a valid argument that some 1 loss teams were better/had better seasons than an unbeaten OSU, but in terms of the practicalities of what would actually happen, the only time an unbeaten OSU is being left out of a 4 team playoff by a selection committee is if there 4 other unbeatens from the Big 5.

Then I suppose this playoff system, which hasn't been used yet, is just as broken as the BCS model. I, for one, want to see the 4 best teams not the team from a big conference that played Buffalo and San Diego State to ensure an unbeaten season.